Internal combustion engine



May 14, 1935.

c. o. GuERNsEY l INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Dec. 2, 1951 51A ....n NN. MV

- -Ummw )Trakls-Y v yPatented May 14, 1935 Charles 0. Guernsey, Yeadom-Pa., assignor to American Car and Foundry Motors Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 2, 1,931, Serial No. 578,501

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and with regard to certain more specic features thereof to internal combustion engines of the high compression type. Still more par- 5 ticularly it relates to the air intake and combustion chambers of such engines and to a method of introducing and admixing air and liquid fuel.

The invention has for one of its objects to obtain an even and extremely thorough distribution of the liquid fuel in air 'which has been brought to a state of high compression at or prior to the time of the introduction of the liquid fuel. l

It is known to be old'in ythe art to provide devices for the purpose ofagitating the air in a cylinder or combustion chamber with a view to obtaining a diffusion of the liquid fuel. However, in engines of the high compression type the period, within which the fuel must be introduced and mingled with the compressed air, is so short, and the ,working space for valves or other mechanical contrivances is so limited that diiiicult problems have arisen which the present invention has solved in a simple, inexpensive and highly eiilcient manner. Devices have been developed for increasing the air velocity at a single intake point and so-called shrouded valves have been proposed to give the air predetermined direction on its entry into the cylinder. These are unsatisfactory in that either they fail to provide the necessary force or turbulence to the air current to cause it to persist over the neutralizing action -of the compression stroke and contact all the air with liquid fuel, or because they require additional sleeves or parts adding materially to they expense and detracting from the efliciency and durability of the engine. The use of shrouded valves or venturi creates a resistance which prevents a' satisfactory `filling of the chamber with air. This has been diflicult to overcome as increase of the valve size is limitedby the bore size of theengine. nIt is an object of the present invention to provide simple and reliably operative means which shall affordsatisfactory filling and cause the air turbulence and high velocity in a predetermined direction to persist at the end of the Vcompression stroke of the piston.

long after the closed.

It is a further object of vthe invention to so construct and cio-ordinate the piston, cylinder head and cylinder, or those parts of same which enter into the formation of the combustion air intake valves have been i sprays of the injection nozzle.

(Cl. 12S-32) of the present invention to insure ample air turbulence throughout the fuel injection operation, and to insure not only that all the fuel injected shall be finely divided and mixed with compressed air, but that all the air under compression shall have dispersed therein a suitable and substantially proportionate amount of fuel.

To this end it is provided that the rotational velocity of the air shallpersist during the fuel injection at a rate presenting all of the air in the combustion chamber to the one or more Completeness of fuel dispersion through the air column may be obtained according to the present invention by using comparatively few spray-jets andv Without' exceptionally high fuel pressure. Many of the prior proposals require a large number of spray holes of very small size making the spray nozzle a diiilcult piece to manufacture and very susceptible to clogging in operation.V

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out particularly hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the various features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which Will be exemplified by the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the applicationy of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing wherein is represented two of various possible embodiments of the invention.

Figure l is a fragmentary view in vertical 4() cross section through a cylinder, cylinder head and piston embodying the invention. .The section is taken substantially on the line l-l of Fig. 2;

. Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal cross` section 45 Fig.' 4 is a view representing the'air condi- 5o tions in the combustion chamber as the piston proceeds toward the end of its compression stroke;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing 55 vl adjacent the inner cylinder wall and a frustohorizontal axis which is 2 n l ,2,001,358 u a `-modiiied arrangement of inlet and outlet factory turbulence and high velocity tok obtain portsj Fig. 6 is a. view illustrating the air condiconsequent-. complete combustion. The air dis- `-tions in the combustion chamber at the timeof placed inwardly from the cylinder walls by ad- 5 introducing Ithe liquid fuel. y v w vancing the piston appears to impinge upon the Referring to. the drawing more in 'detail af rotating air in the chamber in the piston head cylinder I0 has arranged? therein a piston Il with, the general result that a compressed-air preferably constructedwitli a speciallyv shaped column' is rotating about 'a vertical axis which head I2 comprising an outer extending rin`g I3 is the center line of the cylinder and about a the circular center line conical central portion I4. The ring and cenof the column.

tral portion defineJ a circular recess I5 of sec`- l tional shape shown clea'rly in Figs.` l and 3 of J jection type but infthe fonn preferred is a well the drawing. i e i known mechanical injector by which the oil The cylinder I0 is tted with a cast cylinder` introduced tothe combustionchamber perihead I6` formed with an Nexhaust passage II odicallyby pump and in'fthe form of a coarse normally closed by exhaust valves I8 seated in spray or sprays, given direction by the shape of outlet apertures I9 respectively communicating holes in the injectornozzle. The nozzle is inwith the passage I1 `and with the cylinder I0. dicated in the drawing at 30 as having two di- The cylinder head isl also provided withsl inlet ametrically opposed spray holes eachhaving an apertures. 2li` preferably spacedgon opposite sides angle with the nozzle wall which delivers the. of the cylinder as shown eithrer lin Fig. 2 or 5 Ioil spray substantially parallel with the sidev 0f the drewing. ,These inlet apertures are fitted wall of the'frusto-conical section I 4 of \the pis-1 with intake valves 2| normally closing extended ton head'and outwardly transversely of the path' passagespr conduits 22 from the cylinder I0. of swirling air. In other words the spray is The passages or conduits 22 are purposely deL. directed to the annular cavityv in the piston signed of substantial length and arranged-on opi posite sides of the cylinder axis soas to induce an s maximum. The invention is not limited to any air current of "particular direction when the vparticular number of jets or sprays. It is dev valves 2I are opened and the pressure islowered sirable, however, to have the sprays in such in the. Cylinder by ,the suGtiOnStrOke 0f the piston knumber and position that the entire` column of il. The 'passages 22 are preferably arranged air contacted in its swirl, Withoil from complete co-mingling ofthe air and fuel and head where the air turbulence is apparently. at-

The fuel supply means maybe of an air ln- Substantially tangential of a cross section of the one or more spray holes. H With the present cylinder so that the-induced air current will be -form of. air intake and compression two jets,

substantially parallel to the inner-, circumference 3 I and 32 arranged diametrically opposltehave of thecylinden' to the end that it will`v follow been found ample.

the inner wall of the'cylinder during thex suction A'The oil `injection operation yis commenced andl compression strokes of Lthe piston. preferably shortly before the piston reaches the \By the construction described, air in large end of its compression stroke and may continue 40 volume and/athigh velocity entersthrough passomewhatfbeyond the top dead center of the sage 22 and ports 20 on opposite sides of the. piston, It has been determined that the arcylindr'head following jthe piston. in`its sucrangement described can, if desired, produce a tion stroke' and* filling the cylinder- I0 with air rate of air swirl ashigh as eight` timesthe speed swirling at av high rate around the cylinder r of rotation of the engine. By way of illustration axis. On the,v compression stroke this swirling therefore, an engine-speed of 1000 R. P. M. airis `compressed substantially into the space A causes an air swirl at the rate of 8000 R. P. M. provided' in the toner the piston head by the -If thediiration ofthe injector operation is 3c extended head wallv I3 and the' truste-,conical degrees of Acrank travel or 116th of a revolution, central portion Il. Although the action of the`the air` would make ths of a complete revolu- Vf piston in compressing 'the air 'may have Seme tion 'in the combustion chamber during the time dampenng effect `on the rotational velocity 0f the fuel is being injected. If two sprays 18a the air it iS not Sufient t0. neutralize it, with, degrees apart are located 'around the axis of the the result that as'the pistnnears the endiof cylinder the compressed and consequently ,its Compression StrDe 0011111111 0f COUIDI'eSSed heated air, traveling 288 degrees during the in-' 55 air having a high frate of rotational velocity/ jection peration, is alipresented t0 the 0i1 exists within the space orgie head of; the piston spray. This, iii addition to andy dividing and and between the Pisten d Cylinder heed-lJ It vaporizing the fuel, insures that all of the air appears that air displaced frontline inner 'Cylin the column is entirely charged 'withthe fuel.

. inder wall by the ring'IB of the advancing pis- It wilbbe obvious to one skilled in the art that 6o ton-adds materially to the swirling and turbuthe overmpmay be ciit down by varying the lent condition of the air columncin the piston head so that 'the column in addition to a move- 'mentK around the axis of the'piston has some rotative movement transversely aS indicated lby one set of arrows in Fig.' 3 of the drawing. Following this idea strictly each atom would be advancing in the combustion chamber in spiral fashion proceeding circumferentially around the` 4chamber and "at the same time travelling in a'V ltransverse orbit.` It is, of course, impossible to obtain an exact representation of the air move` ment but itl has Abeen definitely determined by yvalve opening, regulating the duration of the injection operation or in various other ways, if desired. f f

By the bovedescribedconstruction there is the entire body of compressed airathat combustion is substantially'complete. The engine has intake provided, a persisting high velocity swirl tests and observations that the rotary swirl inf air is present in the combustion chamber duced during the suction `stroke persistsl when the liquid `:fuel is supplied. This, in com- 75 throughout the fuel injection strokeewith satisbination with1 theV proper number of:V correctly such intimate, of the iueiparnoies with!35 d arranged and directed fuel sprays, produces such a complete and well-organized fuel charge that the engine may b e very closely regulated in fuel supply for varying\ loads. As a consequence a great saving in fuel is effected.

What is claimed is: i

1. In an internal combustion engine Aof the head of which is formed with an annular cavity to accomodate a fuel ring, the cavity being defined internally by a central cone, the outer wall of thecavity being inclined to terminate short of thecylinder wall-whereby-a ring-like shelf is provided at the edge of the'piston to cause preliminary accelerated pressure inwardly across the annular cavityupon upward move,- ment ofthe piston whereby rotation of the 'mass in the annular cavity towards a common axis is produced, a plurality of inlets arranged to direct air Vtangexi'tially at spaced points tocause rotation of the mass in said fuel ring about a inclined outer wall. Y

2. In an internal combustion engine of the and transversely of the fuel ring `towards its Diesel type, the combination of a piston the` head of which is formed with an annular cavity,

the outer wall-of the cavity being inclined and terminating short of the cylinder wall to prol d an annular shelf at the e of the iston Dieseltype. the combination of a piston the v1 e eds p head` whereby pressure is 'directed inwardly tangentially -of the annular cavity to produceal rotation, of the mass within the c v ity towards a common axis, a plurality of a inletspOSitined to direct air tangentially at spaced points whereby the rotating mass within the annularv :cavity is caused to spiral therein about a common axis, and a fuel inlet positioned centrally of the annular cavity and formed with an opening for directing fuel into the spirally rotated mass within the annular cavity, they fuel pene'- trating ,the spirally rotating mass in a path approximating the path of travel of the mass as the piston approaches the dead A.center position whereby the fuel and air are spirally distributed in the annularcavity. ,I

f- CHARLES O. GUERNSEY. 

